Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-04-28

1 VVCt q CtOW ACW VVCAs Ro ~ OSbuAe
light the squirrels n birds n other
small varmunts came out as thick al
hops. n jest cheeped m chartered tell
they made the woods ring. All NV a
suddint we hearn a low, drowsy, sor:
Nv roar lack the byars makes wen
they's way of. Hit KEEP agittin' loud
er as we got nearer tell it went like
bees aswarmin'. l thought it wus
bees aswarmin'. beca'se ev'ry holler
tree was full NV 'em, but Giner'l Floyd
said hit wer'nt bees aswarmin' beca' Sc
'twer'n't time o year fur EN- to swarm.
"Hit struck Inc the Giner'l was
right. SO we stopped N lis'ned keer-
fully. an at last hearn somep'n growl
lack hit wus smothe'd, sarter. 'Ung.
meow! 'ngne-o-o-w! ne-ow-ow- n !
knowed right straight hit was bear.
"'Hit's bear, Giner'l,' said, sorter
low.
Dye reckin? says e.
Jist as cert'n as guns says I.
"'Spose'n we steal march on
'im,' says e.
Isles try it, says l, an of we
started in the direction Nv the racket.
Purity soon we come to a narrer
lake NV black lookin' warter, with
some mons'ous big cyperses agrowin'
all erroun' it, One ole scraggy Teller
growed bout fifty yards f'om the bank
o the lake. an way up in the folks NV
that cypers sot big ole black bar.
We could see the bees abuzzin' erroun'
i'm, an that's wat e wus agrowlin'
bout. But, howsomdever. he KEEP up
the lick all the time. He'd foun' the
hole what led inter the holler. an by
gnawin' an scratchin' he'd made
that ere hole big 'nough to cram is
big paw in, an he'd jist sock it in
there up to is shoulder. m wen e
fetch it out it'd be kivered with honey,
an then he'd begin to lick an bresh
the bees off'n is years an out'n is
eyes with t'other paw, all the time
a-keepin' up that 'Ungneow! 'un.
gneo-w-w! hat growl, hat whine.
lack he wus argyin' an pleadin' the
bees.
''At las he finished us bre'kfus', an
breshin' is whiskers e doubled up ir
a sort O bow-knot, an afore we had
time to say 'scatr he came tumblin'
down, 'kcrplunk" in the sof' yearth.
Then yo' jist orter aseed that ole Will
yum. He rolled an tumbled N
whined and grunted tell his hair ris
right straight up. Bang went Giner'l
Floyd's gun, an the ole bar jumped
up with IN 'O-eeH jist like he WIS tuck
by s'prisc, an come right straight
tow'rds Giner'l Floyd, m l tried to
mex my old gun fire. but the primin'
us damp. an there we WIS.
"Glncr'l Floyd wus no coward. but
he run that time. To mex matters still
wuss the dinged ole bees WIS madden
n the bar WIS, N they gun to pop
away at Giner'l Floyd, whist WIS a
skinnn' up sweet gum. Inter the
lake went Giner'l Floyd, m inter the
top o that ere saplin' went Capt'in
Sterne. As fur the bar. he studied a
mint, n Their he actu-illy grinned.
Their he turned off N made fur the
ma sh. n we helt council o war, m
started back to camp.
"'Say, Cap said the Giner'l, the
mos fermilyer ever hearn i'm: say,
Cap. could'n' you jist tell 'em fell in
mud hole? Hits SO burned bother
some ter have people akin why'n'
| wEerfores.
GAS I'd split my huntin' shirt, clear
to the collar, l greed that we'd let by.
cones be bygones, n we drapped the
matter. l hain't never said moth n
bout it sence. less'n's to some 'un
knowed would say noth'n' bout it.
1--WE spent two days in that ere cuss-
ed swamp afore we got out n we was
mighty nigh famished wen we got out Il
it an struck the wagins on t'other side
wher' we kilt sever'l beeves n eat bout
a bar'l O hard-tack.
1--WE didn' fin nary Injun, but we
foun' the place wher' they had been,
n we named the liant Billy's liant, an
hits as good groun' as ther' is in
Geo'gy. The Injuns raised corn an
pun kins an 'taters, an must had a
mighty fine time in there"
As the old man finished speaking he
knocked the ashes out of his old COZ
pipe. and remarking that it was time
Ito fly up to roost," passed into the
other room, leaving me to think over
this bit of story.-Afontgonaery H. Fol-
som, in " y. Post.